War pornographers
I don't know where I've been, but I have only caught wisps of smoke and glimmers of sordid light about this story, and mostly from the outraged right. As others in the blogosphere might say, what the Poor Man Institute says goes for me thricely.
Mess-o-potamia has become a great mirror ball in the sky for many on the left and the right. It turns round and round flashing a confetti of colored light which the more brain cell-challenged on both sides chase and try to catch as the pieces fall. And because it consists of small squares of mirrors, it reflects the distorted and many times replicated images of whoever happens to be looking at it at the time, showing them exactly what they want to see.
Certain factions on the right want to see the can-do spirit of noble Americans, fighting to bring democracy to a grateful Iraq. Other factions on the right see our boys bravely defeating Islamofascism, taking the fight directly to the source of all Global Terrorism, and best of all: avenging 9-11. And, yes, certain factions on the left want to see a barrel full of rotten torturers; of American troops run amock, red necks among too much brown skin.
Truth is much more mundane and simple, I'd venture. Troops trying to get through their respective tours without getting killed or killing the wrong people. But the truth is something in short supply these days in Iraq, a combination of the White House/Pentagon smoke and mirrors night club act and a situation on the ground in Iraq that makes it next to impossible for good reporters to report.
So when someone like Massey comes along he makes an easy beacon of mirror ball light for all those factions cited above. The military-despising left lift him to a pedestal (when his book was published in France, wasn't that something of a give-away?), while both factions on the right are able to use him to discredit and indict all those who oppose our continued presence in that benighted place (even as some of them secretly cheered on his tales of war time atrocities, wishing they could kick some Iraqi ass...if only the military needed them to enlist and they weren't instead bravely blogging their war lust).
Mess-o-potamia has become a great mirror ball in the sky for many on the left and the right. It turns round and round flashing a confetti of colored light which the more brain cell-challenged on both sides chase and try to catch as the pieces fall. And because it consists of small squares of mirrors, it reflects the distorted and many times replicated images of whoever happens to be looking at it at the time, showing them exactly what they want to see.
Certain factions on the right want to see the can-do spirit of noble Americans, fighting to bring democracy to a grateful Iraq. Other factions on the right see our boys bravely defeating Islamofascism, taking the fight directly to the source of all Global Terrorism, and best of all: avenging 9-11. And, yes, certain factions on the left want to see a barrel full of rotten torturers; of American troops run amock, red necks among too much brown skin.
Truth is much more mundane and simple, I'd venture. Troops trying to get through their respective tours without getting killed or killing the wrong people. But the truth is something in short supply these days in Iraq, a combination of the White House/Pentagon smoke and mirrors night club act and a situation on the ground in Iraq that makes it next to impossible for good reporters to report.
So when someone like Massey comes along he makes an easy beacon of mirror ball light for all those factions cited above. The military-despising left lift him to a pedestal (when his book was published in France, wasn't that something of a give-away?), while both factions on the right are able to use him to discredit and indict all those who oppose our continued presence in that benighted place (even as some of them secretly cheered on his tales of war time atrocities, wishing they could kick some Iraqi ass...if only the military needed them to enlist and they weren't instead bravely blogging their war lust).
posted by John at 4:57 PM
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